ded goals weve been giving up, and Im sick of it.Dallas has allow

MIAMI -- Pablo Sandoval credited his recent weight loss for his ability to beat out an infield hit that proved to be a turning point in the game. Sandovals pivotal RBI single started a four-run fourth inning to help lift the San Francisco Giants to a 6-4 win over the Marlins on Saturday night a day after they outslugged Miami 14-10. "Great hustle, it probably won the game for us," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "It kept the rally going." It would have been the final out of the inning as Logan Morrison raced to the bag, but Sandoval made a head-first slide to beat the Miami first baseman and allow Brandon Belt to score. "It worked, hustle," Sandoval said. "Thats a good rally for us. You have to play like that no matter what situation. Thats the guy that I am, I play hard every day no matter what the situation is." Sandoval has lost 22 pounds in the past six weeks after hiring his older brother, Luis, to be his full-time chef. And when asked if he could have beaten out the play at first prior to his recent transformation, Sandoval responded with an emphatic, "No." Following Sandovals hustle play, Miami pitcher Henderson Alvarez (2-2) then balked home a run and Gregor Blanco tripled, driving in Sandoval and Roger Kieschnick for a 4-0 lead. Center fielder Jake Marisnick made a dive for the ball, but could not get a glove on it. "Jake got aggressive trying to catch that fly ball in centre and didnt catch it and it cost us a couple runs," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. The Marlins cut the deficit to 4-2 on a two-run home run by Giancarlo Stanton in the sixth off of Matt Cain (8-8), who allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings. On the pitch prior to Stantons home run, Cain threw a ball that brushed back Stanton, causing him to fall to the ground. After the game Stanton said the pitch hit him on the wrist, but had no way to prove it to home plate umpire David Rackley. Stanton got up and responded with his 14th home run of the season, an estimated 446-foot blast to left-centre field. "Ill take it instead of a hit-by-pitch," Stanton said. Cain wasnt happy with allowing the homer and struck out the next three batters. "I was definitely heated," Cain said. Sandoval drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth and Andres Torres hit an RBI single to push the Giants lead to 6-2. "Its always important to get insurance runs," Bochy said. "It gives you a bigger margin of error." Morrison hit a two-run double in the bottom of the eighth to pull the Marlins to 6-4. Sergio Romo retired the Marlins in order in the ninth to record his 30th save in 34 chances. "He made some great pitches hitting his spots tonight," Bochy said. "Hes done a very well in that closing role." Alvarez allowed four runs, four hits and four walks while striking out four in seven innings. NOTES: Giants 2B Marco Scutaro left the game in the sixth with a tight lower back. ... Belt went 0 for 2, snapping his career-long hitting streak at 11 games. ... Marlins 3B Placido Polanco was given the day off after getting hit in the head by a pitch during Fridays game. "It looks like hes going to be OK," Redmond said. "Today is a day he just kind of takes it easy. Maybe hell feel better (Sunday). He definitely dodged one there and Im glad hes OK." ... Former Giants pitcher Guillermo Mota received his World Series ring before the game. "Its unbelievable," Mota said. "I just get excited when I see that ring. Its better than the last one." Mota, 40, has aspirations of returning to the Giants next season and believes he has two years left. ... Giants CF Angel Pagan (hamstring) went 0 for 1 for the rookie-level Giants on Friday in his first rehab assignment. "It went fine," Bochy said. "Hes going to go five innings (Saturday), he had a couple of at-bats and had a lot of plays out in the outfield and is moving around well. First game went well for him." ... San Francisco LHP Madison Bumgarner (11-7, 2.73 ERA) will pitch Sundays series finale against Miami RHP Tom Koehler (3-8, 4.62 ERA). Kyle Schwarber Jersey . MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez also will attend the session, which was announced Monday. The league has discussed placing its next two expansion teams in Miami and Atlanta. Sammy Sosa Jersey .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. http://www.thecubsteamshop.com/Cubs-Jason-Heyward-Kids-Jersey/ .Y. -- Bills receiver Stevie Johnson has a bone to pick with the NFL schedule maker. Kerry Wood Cubs Jersey . Third-seeded Murray had the easiest path to victory on New Years Eve, barely breaking a sweat during his 6-0, 6-0 win over 2,129th-ranked Qatari wildcard recipient Mousa Shanan Zayed. Anthony Rizzo Cubs Jersey . Now, with Game 6 set for Fenway Park and an 8:07 p.m. ET first pitch, the Detroit Tigers face the unenviable task of having to beat the Boston Red Sox twice, on the road, to advance to the World Series. DALLAS -- After Dallas scored three goals in the first period, it was on Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen to preserve the win.Patrick Eaves capped Dallas three-goal first and the Stars held off the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 Thursday night. Johnny Oduya and Brett Ritchie also scored in the first for Dallas.Colorado outshot Dallas 30-16 in the last 40 minutes, but Lehtonen camp up big while getting 28 of his 34 saves.You need a game once in a while where your goalie makes some big saves to give you a win, Stars center Jason Spezza said, and Kari did that tonight.The last 40 minutes were largely a battle between Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon and Lehtonen.MacKinnon scored a short-handed goal and added an assist on Mikhail Grigorenkos third-period goal.Lehtonen stopped MacKinnon on a breakaway midway through the second period and again on a rebound with 10 minutes left in the game.I didnt love (MacKinnons) first period, just like the rest of our team, Colorado coach Jared Bednar said, but he came hard in the last two periods. He was all around the net, he was hanging onto pucks and it wasnt fancy plays.MacKinnon has scored only three goals this season.It was a tough start to the year, he said. Im just trying to stay positive. Ive got to be better.MacKinnon won 11 of 19 faceoffs in the first two periods. He was 5 for 12 in the third after Stars coach Lindy Ruff matched Cody Eakin, returning for his first game this season, with MacKinnon in the faceoff circle.MacKinnon was eating up (Radek) Faksa, Ruff said, so I looked to (Eakin) to kind of dig in and win a couple. I thought all night he did a good job.Eakin won 15 of 23 faceoffs.Semyon Varlamov stopped 19 shots and snapped an 11-game winning streak against the Stars.Oduya scored his first goal since last Dec. 17 on a slap shot from the left point that went in off Colorado defenseman Tyson Barries left knee at 8:15.I just close my eyes and shoot, Oduya said. I told Patty (Eaves)) that Im not like him, putting it top shelf every time.dddddddddddd For me, its kind of shoot at the net and see what happens, and sometimes it goes in.Barely two minutes later, Ritchie scored from the slot on the power play after taking a pass from Devin Shore low in the left faceoff circle.Eaves power-play goal from the right of the net followed rapid-fire passes from Spezza behind the net and Tyler Seguin high in the slot.I thought we played 20 minutes, Ruff said. Maybe a little more than that, until the short-handed goal. Im frustrated with the short-handed goals weve been giving up, and Im sick of it.Dallas has allowed four shorthanded goals this season.MacKinnons goal with 7:54 left in the second came after he took Andreas Martinsens pass from the right corner just to the right of the net and beat Lehtonen. Two minutes earlier, Lehtonen had stopped MacKinnon on a breakaway at the endThe Avalanche pulled within a goal at 1:51 of the third when Grigorenko redirected MacKinnons shot from the right point into the right side of the net.Game notes A preseason knee injury had sidelined Eakin almost two months. ... Colorado scoring leader C Matt Duchene missed his third game because of concussion-like symptoms. LW Gabriel Landeskog, the Avalanche captain, also sat out with a lower-body injury. ... LW AJ Greer was recalled for his second NHL game, and scored his first point by assisting on Grigorenkos goal. ... Eaves leads the Stars with eight goals. His 14 points in 17 games represent the best start in his 12 NHL seasons. ... Colorado had 12 wins in the previous 15 games vs. the Stars. ... Oduyas goal ended a personal 67-game drought.UP NEXTAvalanche: At Minnesota on Saturday for the second game on a three-game trip.Stars: Host Edmonton on Saturday in the third of four straight home games. ' ' '